I Wish My Boyfriend Was A Vampire
by Balandria
Summary: Callia Gregory loves vampires. She dreams about them day and night. Aldon is her boyfriend, but because of her obsession she isn't sure about much any more. When a dream turns to reality will it be a nightmare? Or will it be everything she's craved? R&R!
1. Mortal Love

**Disclaimer: Balandria owns nothing. She owns not L.J. Smith, L.J. Smith's books, the concept of Nightworld, the use of Ellen Schreiber's book title that she so loosely threw around, or the characters that she made up herself. She supposes that she **_**should**_** say that she owns her three characters (yes, only three. Because that's all you really need. Right? Right? Yeah, I'm right.) but she is too frightened. Maybe next time she'll make characters that are less independent and openly hostile. But then, maybe not. Her bad.**

**Mmm. Yes, this is my first fanfic, and I greatly appreciate reviews. I wish I could say "If you have nothing nice to say, then don't say it" but who am I to deny my reviewers creative burning?**

**Enjoy the almost-constant dropping of the f-bomb and the awesome-ness of a love triangle. Balandria shall now go and read her some Final Fantasy IX and Shadow Hearts fanfictions. Yuri is a **_**god.**_

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Hmm. _Vampires are among the living_, the book was trying to convinve Callia. _With modern civilization, vampires can blend in, acting as humans._

Callia glared at the page. It was a random buy. She saw it, saw there were vampires in it--the history, actually--and thought it would be an interesting read. Instead, it was just some whackjob rambling about some shit. Which was ironic, because you'd think that she would be on the side of the author. She loved vampires. Really loved them. She wished with all her heart that they were real, but alas, no such luck. She wasn't delusional and she knew where, in real life, her priorities lie. In doing something substantial. Work, maybe. But she couldn't tear herself from her goddamn vamp books.

Still, she disagreed completely with the author. Even if vampires _were _in fact real, she liked to imagine them standing out. There was no way to hide them! For one, they were devastantingly beautiful--well, most of them were, anyway. Two...well, for Christ's sake, they were vampires! Do you think that vampires want to flounce around being mistaken for a human? Hell no. They had pride. Well, as she had thought before, most of them. It was hard to imagine them being other than what they were, as depicted in literature. The kind that Callia read. Beautiful, heartbreaking, romantics, cruel but sometimes kind...Well, it all really varied. There was always the same foundation for each vampire, and it was usually: they always drink blood from humans. And now some authors were creating wussy vampires who only drank from animals. It made her angry--which was weird, because, come on, this is just fiction, but whatever--because it was like they were changing what they knew about vampires.

_But I digress_, she thought mournfully.

Her thoughts floated back to the whole blending-in issure. In Callia's mind, vampires would always be those sorrowful and cruel men who, somehow, spirited away a beautiful princess to be his forever...and so on and so on. But that was just the romantic side of Callia speaking which had grown more prominent the more books she read. She always caught herself wishing for a vampire love herself, but then she remembered her pride--and the fact that she didn't want to be anything like Raven from Vampire Kisses--and stopped her thoughts. But the mind can wander...

And, eventually, she just gave up holding back. What was the point of staying away from daydreams? Wishful thinking can leave you to heartache? Yeah, probably. And, God, the daydreams were wonderful. She loved dreaming up different vampires and creating stories in her mind. She could never write but her dreams were vivid. Even while she was asleep. She couldn't tell if the main character in her dreams was always her, but it was occasionally. There were vampire usuals in her dreams as well. The whole princess thing was getting to her, she supposed. Men lined up to court her..._vampire _men, to be exact. Well, young men. Always looking around the sixteen to eighteen range, but she knew very well that most of them were far beyond that.

There was Amarande: noble, statue-like, quite frankly, but he was generally nice and he was good looking. He fell under the eighteen catagory. There was Wynn who always made her laugh, always kept a grin on his face and Callia constantly wanted to hug him. Under the sixteen catagory. And then there was Lucine: a bit awkward but rather positive and very good looking. She felt a sort of sibling affection for the mysterious shy vampire. Under the seventeen file.

But she could always remember one, _one _specific vampire who stood out the most and whom she dreamt of every night, picturing his face, having the impulse to draw him, knowing it would do no good. She couldn't capture on paper what he meant to her. In her dreams they were nothing serious but she liked him and he followed her in her dreams, changing from venue to venue. Never managing to get him out. Some of the other vampires she was fond of appeared in her dreams again in different situations, but he was constant.

And thinking about him hurt. Callia already wished for a night companion, and thinking about the one she truly craved didn't help any.

She wasn't really being true to herself, or fair to anyone else. She _had _someone who loved her. It just wasn't enough.

Callia didn't have many friends. But she was proud of this fact. She didn't _want _anybody else in her life. In her opinion, they weren't worth it. There was no point in staying friends with people you can't connect with. That was like continuously eating broccoli, hoping your taste-buds would change so you could enjoy it. She did, however, have one friend. Who was more than a friend.

She frowned sourly at the thought, but he interupted her reverie.

The sunlight glinted off his white-blond hair, and his dark eyes sparkled. "Hey." He smiled and shook his head, sitting on the bench beside her wrapping an arm around her. She felt comforted by the touch, but there was no...magic. Nothing there. It was like was she felt for Lucine, only more, um, not so much like a sibling. She liked him, but not like...Callia didn't want to think about him.

"Hi, Aldon." She smiled up at him.

He pulled her close and she tucked her head in the crook of his neck. She felt guilty about taking comfort from being held by him but she had no where else to go.

"I missed you." Aldon said, and Callia assumed he was going for indifferent but she could feel the sorrow radiating out of him like daggers.

"I missed you, too." She replied back, and she meant it. Just this small embrace made up for the time they'd been away from each other, though. It had been winter break and she spent her two weeks with her dad. He lived about five hours away.

Callia felt Aldon gather himself. He picked himself up and laughed. "It's a good day, though. School may be a pain in the ass, but at least it's a nice day."

She nodded, closed her eyes, and rested.

"Callia?" He asked with a smile in his voice. "Hello?"

"Mmm?"

"Are you okay?"

She laughed quietly. "I'm just a bit tired. And you're comfortable. And warm." She nestled in just a bit more to make her point.

Callia felt the silent laughter that shook his body slightly. "Glad to oblige. I'm your handy dandy pillow. I suggest you not fluff me up, though. I don't even want to _know _how that would work out." He rested his cheek on her head.

A moment later she groaned, "I don't want to go to school."

"Well, it's sort of mandatory, sweetheart. We can't do much about it."

"But do we have to go today?" She lifted her head and caught his gaze beseechingly. "Please, Aldon?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Are you suggesting I skip school with you?"

"Um, yes?"

"I've never skipped before, you know."

She smiled a little. "Neither have I."

"This could go on my permanent record."

Callia layed her head on his shoulder. "Fine, fine." She sighed.

"We could still go if you'd like."

She yawned. "No, it's fine."

"No, really, Callia." He yawned, too. "We could both get some sleep."

"Wanna rest at my place?"

Aldon nodded and grinned. "I'll keep it strictly G-rated."

"Aw, with teddy bear and all?"

"Why do you think that _I'm _here?" He smiled warmly and Callia couldn't help but returning it.

"Let's go, then!" She said excitedly. Aldon stood and knelt down.

She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Get on." He demanded.

Callia rolled her eyes.

"No, seriously. Piggyback ride for the lady."

"I didn't think that you'd take G-rated this far."

Aldon snorted and picked her up when she didn't move.

Callia woke up later, dazed, and glanced around her large room for Aldon. She finally noticed that she was wrapped in his arms and she snuggled closer to him.

"Awake?" Aldon asked, voice groggy with sleep.

"Nah, not yet." She replied and wrapped her arms around him.

"Mmm, I'm fine with that." Callia looked up at his grin and kissed him gently on the lips before resting her cheek on his throat.

She felt so comfortable and normal there. It didn't feel awkward with Aldon. It was like wrapping yourself up in a blanket and hiding there, hoping no one will find you. That was how she felt with him.

He ran his fingers up her spine and down, repeatedly and she found the motion oddly soothing.

Aldon chortled about something he was thinking. "I wanna be your vampire, Callia."

She laughed and smacked his head lightly. "What are you talking about, psycho? Been reading my diary?" Callia was only half-kidding.

"Only if you say it's cool. But, no, if vampires are real--and hell, they could be--I'd become one for you just for your strange fascination."

"That's so _sweet, _Aldon. You'd become a bloodsucking monster just to tickle my fancy?" She played with his curly light hair. "Aldon, you're a human. I honestly can't imagine you anyway else."

"Fuck that. I'd be a badass vampire, roaming the streets, snapping my fingers, I'll get a gang, slicked back hair, leather jackets, the whole shebang." Aldon laughed. "Or maybe just a badass vampire. There's no need to add sixties culture to the mix."

"Oh my god, that decade must have been a nightmare for the--supposed--vampires." Callia laughed with him.

"For the humans, too." He stretched a little and scooched away to observe Callia. He blushed and layed back down, gathering her back into his arms.

She smiled. "What?"

"Hmm?"

"What were you thinking just now?"

"Oh, nothing." Aldon said, voice all cool and breezy.

"No, tell me. Please?"

He sighed. "You can't always get whatever you want with a pretty face."

Callia pulled away and pouted. "But it works with you. That's all that matters, right?"

He appraised her again. "I was thinking about how you'd look. You know, as a vampire."

She sat up and spread her arms wide, turning as to give him different angles. "What did ya think?"

Aldon grinned. "Beautiful. Painfully beautiful. You already are."

Slowly, so slowly she didn't even notice, she dropped her arms and cocked her head to the side. Their relationship was like that. They were playful all the time but Aldon liked to be serious sometimes too. Whenever he did, her stomach felt all fluttery like butterflies were wreaking havoc in there.

He moved over to her and kissed her. Not taking anything further. He didn't do that. Aldon liked it so Callia was the one who took things a step forward and on this particular evening, she did. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him down over her, the feel of his mouth on hers was warm and soft and he always tasted sweet. She could taste his sugar-sweet breath and somewhat minty lips--probably from brushing his teeth this morning.

They pulled away from each other. Aldon layed down next to her, and smiled.

She smiled back. "Thank you for saying that I'm beautiful."

"You forgot painfully."

Callia frowned. "Pain isn't a good thing."

"Ah, that's where I beg to differ. Do you ever feel sad for something but enjoy it anyway?" He asked.

She nodded.

"Well, that's sort of how I feel around you. Like, knowing that I'm really unworthy of being in your presense but I indulge anyway."

Callia grimaced. He wasn't unworthy. It was the other was around. But she didn't want to tell him that. She wanted him at least semi-happy.

Instead, she gave him a shy smile. "_You're _worthy." Callia held out her arms to him. "But am I worthy of a hug?"

He tucked her in the bed together with him and they talked a little more, kissed a little more before falling asleep again.

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**Balandria says: Enjoy it? Wish you were a monkey so you could throw crap at my fanfic? Tell me about it and I might make Aldon do the chicken dance. Yes, readers, just for you. =Þ**

**By the way, if any of you have noticed that my author's notes wasn't here before, then you are sharp. I thought that it might be necessary to put a disclaimer so nobody sues the Balandria and so that my readers know that--wow!--Balandria really **_**isn't**_** some creepy robot with an interest in human-vampire relations. 'Nuff said.**


	2. Dream Come True

**Aldon dances around Balandria's room, flapping his arms and shaking his booty. Oh, she couldn't resist making him do that. Even if no one reviewed it was still a treat for you all.**

**Balandria: So, would any of you like to read the disclaimer?**

**She meets blank stares and sighs.**

**Balandria: Oh, **_**come on.**_

**Aldon: Er, Balandria--**

**Balandria: It's Mother Goose, to you.**

**Callia chuckles and Aldon glares.**

**Aldon: **_**Mother Goose**_**, did you put us in a ghost town, or something?**

**Balandria: Why do you ask?**

**Aldon: Because, despite the fact that you say that there are numerous beings and people roaming the streets of this town, you never talk about anyone else. It's only us three--well, four, counting you, I guess.**

**Balandria: I suppose. (she studies her nails, superiorly)**

**Aldon: Does this town even have a name?**

**Balandria: Why, yes it does.**

**Aldon stares expectantly.**

**Balandria: It's name is Untitled. Just like your name at first because I couldn't give a flying fart about who the hell you were. Until I wrote this, of course.**

**Aldon: But you wrote my part in first per--!**

**Callia: So, you're saying that you **_**didn't**_** name our town.**

**Balandria: No, really. I named it Untitled. Catchy, ain't it?**

**Aldon: Oh, for the love of--.**

**The figure in the corner with glowing red eyes: Balandria owns nothing. Don't sue her. **

**Balandria: See, now **_**he**_** is a trooper.**

**Aldon rolls his eyes, and sits back to read.**

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Kael, crouched in the depths of a tree, sighed. He should have gotten used to this. It wasn't like it was the first time something like this happened. In fact, it happened every time.

He watched the window with scorn. They couldn't see him but he could see them. That was the way of the world when you were a vampire looking in on the world of humans, but he was used to it. The superior feeling he'd felt so long ago dulled with experience. It was especially important every time he did this. Every time...sometimes he wondered why he did do this. Why didn't he just give up? Accept that the cycle will continue going the way it has for centuries if he intervenes. Especially because he couldn't see her die. Not again. He always thought that, thought that it was too much for him to handle each time. Yet, he kept looking and it kept happening.

Was he an idiot because of that? Sometimes, he certainly thought so. But he couldn't imagine his eternity of life without her.

It was too late to think stupid thoughts like she wouldn't die the second time around. When she died her first time, it just happened to be a fluke _how _she died. But it wasn't and he was ridiculous for entertaining the notion.

Kael really did want to leave this moment, though. Nothing was happening, but he might hurt someone. Most definitely not _her._ So it would be the blond one, then. The one who was holding her so close to him, getting to be with her when it really should have been him. It should have been him the first time.

Sighing, he left the tree. He'd come back at nightfall. He'd speak to her.

***

He followed her on her way to the store. There were many alleyways on the streets of this town, and for that, he was glad for. He needed to speak to her in private. Somehow, a quiet room didn't seem private so he needed to go with a dark alley near midnight. Every time he showed up for her, every cycle, she reacted differently. She was unpredictable and he needed all the space he could get so no one would get suspicious that, oh, someone was being murdered or something.

And he liked the circumstances. He hadn't seen her--face-to-face--in so long.

She looked absolutely breathtaking, as always. The reason why so many men, so long ago, had tried to get her for themselves. He, of course, was one of those men. And he should have been the lucky one. He was, in a way. But Kael didn't really win her. Not really.

The modern times worked for her, he decided. She wore her long naturally highlighted bronze hair almost down to her hips. He remembered her eyes, teal with flecks of silver. Her light skin the faintest shade of gold. Her small frame, with womanly curves. And her small smile that, no matter how small or quiet, lit up the room where ever she went. She was a prize, but also a person of her own. She was confident and spoke up if she needed to. While her smile was quiet the way that she acted and carried herself spoke volumes. That may have been more common in the modern times but he still respected her.

Kael was sure that that boy who was with her earlier knew what a prize she was, too, and he damn well knew that he wasn't worthy. He saw the expression on the boy's face. The boy was still in shock and awe and wonder that she was with him. Kael hoped to god that the boy didn't take her virginity. Now _that_ would be something odd. He assumed the best and hoped that the boy hadn't, though.

He saw his oppurtunity as she walked home, a small bag of groceries in hand. She was far from people at this point. Just lone roads with deep valleys that hid everything. He couldn't believe she was out at night alone in the first place. The night was one of the most dangerous times for a human like her. He groaned inwardly. Do parents teach their kids nothing about safety these days?

Still, it was convenient for him, so he, in a blink, had her in the alley, groceries flung into the depths of the alley, forgotten.

Kael made sure not to hurt her but she reacted as if he'd slapped her. "What the hell? Get off of me!" And she started struggling with him.

Gritting his teeth, he pinned her arms to the wall, fists gripped around her wrists and body pressed close to hers. She stopped moving as much.

"Let me go." Her voice was a dead calm.

Even angry and scared, her voice was like beautiful music to him. He wondered if she felt what he felt when their skin touched. He wondered if she would know.

"Callia." Kael breathed. "I can't. I'm sorry, but I can't." And he couldn't. Love made him blind to reason. It had ever since he met her, all those centuries ago.

He heard her swallow thickly. "How do you know my name?"

"You don't remember me?" He released his grip on on of her wrists to reach up and brush her cheek. He felt like his whole being was being pulled by some magnetic force, like his soul wanted to mesh with hers.

She felt it, too, he arm he released she could have tried to attack him with but she stayed still, slightly quivering.

But she stubbornly shook her head slightly and tried to stay calm.

"You don't remember me, Princess?" he heard an almost inaudible intake of air--a gasp, probably. "I remember you. I remember when we first met. You danced with me, and I was so attracted to you. But, then, who isn't?" He grinned, grimly amused. Who _didn't _find her attractive?

"I'm sorry. You must have me mistaken for someone else. Can I go now?" She asked, trying for some kind of reprieve.

Kael just laughed. "Is there another Callia I should know about? In this town? Do you need a light to figure it out, Callia? I can give you one."

She nodded curtly. Probably just agreeing with whatever the crazy stranger wanted so she could get the hell away.

Kael dug into his pocket and emerged with a lighter. He flicked it on, between Kael and Callia and watched the shock and amazement show on her face. His mouth twisted in to a smile. A happy, bitter, longing smile.

Only a glimmer of the amazement remained on her face a moment later. He stepped a small amount away as she sunk to the ground, hands covering her face, shaking her head. "No. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck. I am _seeing _things. That's lovely. I am fucking _hallucinating._" Her head popped up for a moment. "Or maybe I'm asleep." She glanced warily at Kael for a brief second and shook her head. "It would make sense if I was."

"You aren't." He disagreed softly. "You aren't asleep. You're wide awake, Callia." But she just kept shaking her head.

"No, I'm asleep. You'd _want _me to think that I'm awake. Ugh, I didn't know that my imagination was getting _that _sick and twisted." Callia groaned.

Kael knelt down in front of her and took her hands away replacing them with his hands. He cupped her cheeks with his palms and smiled at her. "This isn't a dream, Callia. I promise that you're awake." He stroked her cheek with the pad of his thumb. "Please believe me. I need you to believe me."

She studied him for a few minutes, experimentally touching his face, checking if he wasn't just a hologram. She settled back into her crouching position with a frown.

Finally she sighed and rolled her eyes. "Fuck it. Whatever. I believe you. But I swear to god that if I wake up in a few minutes, I'm never going to fall asleep again. I'll figure out a way to do that." She frowned defiantly even though what she was suggesting was idiotic. She probably knew it, too.

"Callia?"

She squeezed her eyes shut. "What?"

"Can I hold you?"

Her eyes snapped open but she grinned. "Men are so old fashioned, sometimes. Just do what your impulse tells you to do."

Kael wasn't about to do that.

But he did pull her gently into his embrace, kissing her forehead softly and whispering things to her that only covered a small fraction of how he felt.

Callia relaxed in his arms almost immidiately. He knew that she did remember him from her dreams--like she always did.

He swept his lips across her cheeks, feeling dizzy with love and passion. Everytime he found her again, he couldn't believe that he'd lived so long without this feeling. The feeling that he belonged somewhere and that someone loved him. Even if she didn't now, she would. It was inevitable. She couldn't _not _fall in love with him. Just like after all this years he couldn't bear the thought of forgetting her, her sweet voice, her loving manner, and the soft eyes that watched him as much as his crimson eyes followed her.

Kael sighed dreamily, feeling so blissful, even on the dirty alley ground, with Callia cradled against them. The silver cord wrapped snuggly around them.

***

Callia tensed. Then she shot to her feet like a bullet. "No, I can't do this."

Kael narrowed his eyes and glared at the sky. This always happened and he hated every minute of it. He brought his gaze back to the lovely Callia again and he felt cold inside. Like someone had poured cold water into his bloodstream. She always had guilt because she always had someone when he found her. He was always second because of this.

"Callia," he murmured, "do you want me to leave?" Unfairly, he used reverse psychology which seemed to work on her.

"No,no. I-I'm sorry. Kael." She fixed her beautiful teal eyes with his blood-red ones. They were so different yet they belonged together. He understood. Fate worked in odd ways but she was his drug.

A chill went through him from the way she said his name.

_Kael. _The way she said it, so softly and quietly, she said it like a prayer. Pleading him to help her figure something out.

"Kael. I..I have a boyfriend. One who really loves me and I can't leave him." She gave a short laugh. "Especially not for you."

That hit him like a ton of bricks. "Why not _me?_"

"Well, if my dreams serve me right, you're a vampire." She stated, no fear in her voice any longer. She had some fear issues, obviously.

"Yes, and?"

"And, well, my boyfriend would be pissed if I left him for a vampire because I'm pretty sure one of his darkest fears--which he probably thought was the most ridiculous--is that I'd leave him for one."

"That's a fairly detailed fear." Kael raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I, um, I'd rather not discuss it now." She said nervously and sat down again, not so close to him this time.

"Mmm? No time like the present." He persisted.

Callia huffed. "I swear. I must get the whole pouty persistent thing from spending too much time with you in my dreams. You weren't always so intruding."

Kael shrugged and watched her with a smile.

She groaned. "I'm obsessed with vampires, alright? Happy, now?"

He nodded. "Oh, yes. Indeed, I am."

Kael thought that that trait must have come from when her parents hosted a ball specifically for the vampire suitors. Or maybe she just liked vampires by coincidence.

She looked at him in wonder. "Are all the other vampires in my dreams real, too?" She asked him and he blanched. He wasn't sure if her dreams were _all _memory.

"It depends on who they are." He answered vaguely.

She nodded. "Right. Not important."

It was just past midnight at that moment, and Callia looked up at him solemnly. "I'm not sure what to do. I only just met you, Kael."

He moved closer and cupped her chin. "But you've known me for much longer. Longer than you've known your boy. Longer than you've known your current life."

Callia was obviously puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"Those dreams weren't just dreams, Callia. They were real. They happened. It was so far back from now." He smiled. "So many centuries ago."

"I still don't get it."

"Do you want to continue discussing your lives while sitting in an alley?" He asked, unwilling to keep her here.

She glared at him.

He continued. "Which is my fault, yes, but that isn't the point."

"I should get back home--Hey! I forgot about the damn groceries!" Callia sighed. "I must have dropped my bag. Fuck it. I'll go again tomorrow."

"Alright. Would you like to return to your home, then?"

"Yeah, I'm going. But you owe me five bucks. Got it?"

He nodded with a grin. "Sure."

"You aren't following me, are you?" She asked tentatively.

"Just following my impulses."

She snorted. "Last time _I _give advice."

"You act like you don't want me to follow you home." Kael wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her back to her house.

"How do you know where my house is?" Accusations blunt on her voice.

"I've been there before. Not _inside_, mind you. Got a good view of your boy and you in bed this morning." He said, only half-teasingly. It still pissed him off.

"Well," Callia stated nonchalantly, "he is my boyfriend and you are not. Therefore, he is allowed in my bed. And you are not."

They walked in silence, Kael faintly amused, Callia with a bewildered look on her face. Kael could sense other night creatures prowling the streets, hidden in the shadows away from the street lamps. He made sure that he was close to Callia in case he needed to protect her. But not many creatures dared to attack him.

Kael really didn't mind it when she scurried to the door, seeming to want to get away from him. His main focus was to keep her safe. Nothing else mattered right now than her safety.

Callia pulled him upstairs to her bedroom, but pointed her to a computer chair while she rested on her bed.

"Explain." Her voice was muffled by the blankets.

Kael was slightly reluctant to tell her the truth of the cycles, but he decided that it was best. She could take it. Despite her orders, he strayed from the chair and sat down on the bed, beside her, stroking her long hair.

"Will you promise to believe me," he asked, "no matter what?"

She looked up momentarily to show a fierce glare. "Of course."

"Remember you said that." He told her.

Kael took a deep breath.

"It was very long ago, when vampires were still known in the world. We were kept separate from the humans. I suppose you could have called us upper-class, though it might have shocked you. Vampires are meant to be horrible monsters, right? Vampires can live longer and don't need much to survive, so we obviously made more money than the human entrepreneurs. In your time you were, as your dreams revealed, a princess. You grew up, of course, in a world with vampires. After a while, you were to be married. They had two separate balls for you--one for humans and the other for vampires. I was obviously a part of the latter." He smiled a little.

"You looked like you were having so much fun that night. Dancing with all your suitors, smiling and chatting with the female vampires. I'm fairly certain that only you, your parents--the King and Queen, and one other were the only humans there that night." Kael was still troubled by that fact. That _one other. _He hated it. "We danced, and I was taken with you. Really, and believe me that if it were any other girl than you I would never say this, but, it was love at first sight for me. For you...well, it was love at first few dances." He paused and smiled, brushing his fingers across the smooth and warm skin on the back of her neck.

"What do you mean?" Came Callia's muffled response.

This was the harder part to explain. "Why do you feel so relaxed with me? You've only met me not much longer than an hour before. And I pushed you into an alley." He was hoping she'd come to the earthshattering conclusion with just a few nudges in the right direction without having to say it himself.

Her shoulders lifted a fraction then dropped. "I don't know. Maybe it's because I believe you so far--about the dream thing. That whole alley thing, by the way? Yeah, please don't do that again. I thought I'd be mugged, raped, killed, or all of the above.

"But, I don't understand why I am...Well, to be honest, I'm not very relaxed on my own will. I'm just tired. I feel like I know you, though. And I do. Sort of, right?" Callia raised her head for a moment to get his nod and returned to the Land Of The Oxygen Deprived.

"That's the thing, though. I _know _you, but, I also remember feeling that way when I _first _met you. I remember that you in a," she paused, and Kael could feel embarrassment radiating from her like waves, "certain light. Like you were better than everyone else. That you were smarter, stronger, kinder, crueler when you needed to be, faster, better at everything than anyone else--human and vampire, alike. And if you weren't, I accepted those traits. I felt they were endearing. You didn't _need _to be the best, you weren't going for perfection. I just felt like you knew me too. Like you understood me like no one ever had. My dreams are pretty vivid."

Callia sighed. "I just felt like I _needed _to be with you. To have you with me. I felt that if I didn't, I'd be lost." She laughed. "All that in just mere hours. I'd say you made a lasting impression on my first life. In an odd way, because of these facts, I trust you. Which is weird, because, as you'd said, you _did _push me into that damn alley and make me waste five dollars."

Kael had listened word for word of her speech. Callia had only had four lives before this. She'd never been so honest or...detailed. But he knew that she had felt that way about him from the--almost--very beginning. She was right, he did understand her.

She laughed. "Sorry for the speech. It was just hard to explain. Why did you ask, though?"

He swallowed. "I need to tell you something important, Callia. I know that you might not believe me, but I need you to try."

"I've believed everything so far."

"I understand, but, you were there for most of the part of my story. This is...this is something very different."

"Just tell me, Kael." Callia demanded.

He hesitated but she looked up at him, interest in her eyes. There was nothing he could lose, he supposed. Except for, well, her trust maybe.

"I've told you that vampires are real. I'm here, so that's proof enough. But what I didn't tell you is that we have a sort of secret society, I guess you could call it. A world of our own, where we separate ourselves from humans but live in harmony with them at the same time." He shrugged.

"A secret society?" Inquiring, she slowly sat up and listened closely.

"Yes. But vampires aren't the only members. There are shapeshifters--creatures that can become animals, the form passed down through blood. There are witches, too. Not the kind from fairy tales, but ones that are closer to Wiccans than anything else. There are other things, unexplainable, that I'd never be able to describe to you, really. We all live around the world, though, intermingling with humans even if we are so separate from them. Some creatures stay away from humans, holding on to their beliefs that we are superior. This society that I'm telling you about--my world--is called the Night World."

-----------------------

**Kael: You aren't going to crack some bad jokes, are you?**

**Balandria: Of course not. Of course not...**

**Kael settles back into his chair, looking relieved.**

**Balandria: I'd just like to tell you that if it weren't for the fact that you are in my Night World fanfic, I would have made you one of the gentry.**

**Callia nods: Your name does have a fairy-ish ring to it.**

**Balandria: See?**

**Kael glares in bafflement (is that a word?(probably not) oh well).**

**Callia stares through your computer screen with her large teal eyes: Please review. We'd love to know what you think of us.**

**Balandria: That'a girl. See Kael? **_**She**_** knows how to schmooze.**

**Kael sighs, and Balandria grins.**

**Balandria enjoys torturing her characters.**


	3. Extra: Roses Aldon's POV

I wonder if she'd ever notice. She usually doesn't pay attention to anything; doesn't stop to smell the roses. I do. All the time. But Callia has always been like that. She always thought she saw the big picture when the details were what she should have been paying attention to.

I'd paid attention to her. I always had.

And it wasn't always like that--_love._ She's beautiful, yeah. So are models and actresses and very few girls in my school. It doesn't really matter. It just becomes another fact about why she was so valuable. I'd told you before: I pay attention to things. Guys didn't pay attention to Callia. Or they tried to anyway.

See, Callia is what she is. She's gorgeous, smart, odd, and headstrong. She didn't _want_ to spend time with people who always thought about her as an object. Lucky she found a person who didn't see the big picture of things.

It was so hypocritical though. Callia hated people like her. She strived to be different, pushed away from her own kind. Made _me_ want to push away from my own kind. Just for her. Only for her. So, I wonder if she ever stopped to think about what she meant to me. What I mean to her. I know what she thinks. I'm not psychic--she just isn't complex. Callia lives in her fantasies, wanting what she doesn't have, never truly looking or appreciating the person holding her while she dreamt. She doesn't have many of those, though. Maybe she never learned how to love someone--purely by heart.

Being buried in her books confused her on things. She doesn't know what love truly is. Callia thinks it is spontanious; love at first sight. She was always a sort of romantic, the kind who loved to read gothic stories by candlight even if they _had_ electricity. It just seems more romantic to them, makes them think they're better than modern society--what they already have in the palm of their hand. I don't know why I did, but I trusted her with myself, knowing she had no intention of putting a claim on me, not really. I knew she'd kill me.

The fucking ridiculous thing is that I'd still go after her, still love her, when she does this to me. Because I am--in some alternately fucking ridiculous way--also a romantic. 'Cause I've changed over time. She'd never noticed though.

What's the point in promising you'd become a vampire for her if you're already one?

Callia doesn't know--not yet. She needs to stop and smell the roses.

-----------------------

**A/N: Even with all the teasing I abuse Aldon with, he really is my favorite character. I decided on that little "him being a vampire" bit right when I was writing it and I'm glad I made him that way. Of course, it just makes the story more dramatic (and for the readers, probably annoyingly so). I'm cool with it, though. Aldon really isn't the guy that you'd expect him to be. He's losing his humor slowly. Anyone notice that? Yes, it really truly is happening. Oh dear! **

**Oh, and during the first chapter, did anyone think that this story should be called "I Wish A Vampire Was My Boyfriend" instead of "I Wish My Boyfriend Was A Vampire"? Well, they both apply, I guess. Callia is pretty fickle, after all.**

**Well, review for the newbie writer, please! It'll be very much appreciated. I hope I'm not killing anyone with my horrible sense of humor. Well, I guess I'll just pretend that I'm not taking the smiles away from all you readers. =Þ**


	4. Immortal Bonds

**Kael: Excuse Balandria. She's over in a corner humming From a Mountain in the Middle of the Cabins by Panic At The Disco.**

**Balandria really can't get it out of her head. *sigh***

**Callia: Anywho, you know the drill. No one owns anything here, except me who apparently owns these two.**

**Kael rolls his eyes while Aldon shrugs.**

**Balandria: Freaks.**

----------------------

"What? You have _got _to be kidding me." Callia said defiantly, feeling sad now that her beliefs had shattered just a moment ago. It was ridiculous, truly ridiculous. She wouldn't believe it--but when Kael said it it sounded like the exact truth. _Shit._ Today wasn't going very well for her.

"I thought you had said that you would believe me." Kael said tired, and his eyes roved around the room, looking everywhere except for at her.

"I..." She faltered. What could she say? She _did _say that she would believe him no matter what, but, still... "I know."

"So, are you saying that you don't believe me?" His cold red eyes studied a poster--they were like chips of crimson ice.

"_That _I don't know." She fell back on her bed and sighed. "I'm sorry. I _guess _that I do believe you. Why would a vampire lie like that? What's the point?"

"My _point _is that there is a thing in the Night World that is called the soulmate principle."

Oh, _no. _She had a feeling where this was going. Him, the dreams, they were all rushing back to her at a break-neck speed.

"And...are you getting it, yet?" Eyes flickered back to her for a moment.

She nodded numbly. "And what does this principle entail, exactly?"  
He sighed. "Are you sure that you want to know?"

Callia nodded again, not even faintly sure that she _did _want to know. At that point it seemed like she didn't have much of a choice.

"A lot." Kael observed her wardrobe--the smooth dark wood, the intricate carvings, it had cost a fortune. Not that money mattered much to her parents who spent their lives on work, rarely returning home with as much as a hello.

"A lot." She repeated, a chill running down her spine. "Care to elaborate? Explain a little?"

"You don't want me to, do you?"

Callia gnawed on her lip. "No," she confirmed. "Not now. Maybe later, but not now. Actually...I--"

She was interrupted by a knocking on the front door downstairs.

Callia glanced at Kael for a moment before she went to her bedroom door. "Not tonight. Another time, alright?"

He sighed. "Yes. I'll be back soon."

She left him in her room knowing that he could just leave via window.

The person knocked on the door again softly, like they always did, because Callia knew that the person on the other side would most likely be Aldon.

And she felt glad for a familiar face. She was glad that Kael would be leaving for the night, and with Aldon it was easy to _forget_ about the world. Like nothing else mattered for the moment.

She wasn't surprised when she opened the door to see his face, his light hair slightly damp by the faint drizzle beginning outside.

"Hey." She smiled. He smiled back a little.

"Hi."

Callia let him pass by her through the doorway. She went to the kitchen to get a glass of water. The transparent liquid swirled in her equally transparent glass as she leaned against the counter, fully aware of Aldon watching her.

"So, what's up?" She thought that it was easy to forget and pretend that there hadn't been another boy--a vampire, no less-in her room just a moment ago. It wasn't as if something had happened between them, though. A hug was meaningless. At least, it wasn't cheating.

She turned around, leaning her elbows on the marble countertop. He seemed wary, a bit skittish. Like a kitten, she decided. He seemed to be staring past her with his large dark eyes.

It was slightly amusing to Callia. Still, she wondered what was wrong.

"Aldon?"

He focused his gaze on her again, seeming to return to the present.

"What's wrong?" Callia tried again.

"Nothing is wrong." He said with a smile.

Something was wrong. She was sure of it. She just couldn't fathom _what_ was wrong. He was always so happy. She knew that it was selfish of her but she had always thought that he would be the positive one. It would give her the excuse to be gloomy. Aldon rarely ever showed negative feelings.

"Right." She raised an eyebrow at him.

Aldom walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her. She went still for a moment considering it was so sudden but she melted almost instantly. Callia loved these moments. She felt as if she were floating on a cloud when she was with him; happy, light, like nothing could hurt her.

"I love you." He murmured, his mouth just an inch away from her own lips and smiled.

She felt her heart lurch in despair. He'd said that before. It just continuously reminded her how much she didn't deserve him. Especially after today.

"It's okay, Callia," he said, as if he'd read her mind. "It's fine."

And he kissed her, like he had millions of times before. Only she'd never felt so sad before, so lonely. Like she'd fallen from that safe little cloud, and was waiting to hit the ground.

Then she took it back. He _hadn't_ kissed her like this before. Before, he was meek when he showed his affection. Afraid, never wanting to push her. But he didn't seem to want to do that this time. One of his hands clutched the counter behind Callia's body to keep them from falling, the other still holding Callia to him, almost as close as a person could get to another person still fully dressed. It frightened her, but she couldn't hold on to that thought.

His mouth wasn't warm and soft anymore. Aldon's breath was hot and his lips were bruising--demanding. He made her feel like she was on fire.

It was exhilarating. Her heart pounded in her chest, threatening to break free from her ribs.

Aldon moved his--newly--bruising mouth away, trailing down her cheek, to her jaw and neck, leaving fiery carresses in his wake.

Callia struggled to catch her breath, trying to find words but there wasn't anything she could think of. The idea of speaking, she thought, would break the brazen manner Aldon was showing. She decided that she didn't want that.

He stopped at a pulse point. She felt his tongue on her neck and shivered.

"You know," Aldon spoke, shocking her out of _her_ trance, voice low and husky," I'd never thought much about our relationship. Didn't you think that it was so easy and uncomplicated? I'd never thought of doing this--something that boyfriends do all the time."

She swallowed. "It _is_ easy." But she remembered how everything had suddenly gotten complicated. And she was shocked that her voice was husky, too, and she tried to clear her throat.

He laughed shortly, waves of hot breath dancing against her neck. Straightening up a little, he looked her in the eye. "For you it is. At least, I tried to make it as simple as I could. It didn't matter how I felt about it, because I just wanted you happy. I still do."

Callia's brow furrowed. She didn't understand. She wondered when she had gotten so out of the loop--or stupid. "What do you mean?"

Brazen Aldon died a little. He seemed more uncertain, like he had a few minutes ago. What time was it anyway?

He sighed. "It doesn't matter."

"It does!" She snapped. "I want to know what you're so hung up about."

He closed his eyes, taking slow and measured breaths. "It's never been easy for me to be around you."

"Why?"

Clenching his jaw, he walked away to lean against the kitchen table He seemed to be so much older than her in that instant. So much more knowledgable, experienced, and stressed. She felt young and meek in his presence.

"Callia." She had never known how her name just rolled off his tongue, how different it sounded from anything else he said. He said her name with so much love, her throat closed for a moment and her heart broke. "Callia," he repeated, "are you serious? Are you that dense?"

She moved over to him, hesitating, but putting a hand on his arm. "Are you drunk?"

He snorted. "Answer the question."

"But I don't know what you mean!" She huffed. Aldon needed to stop being so cryptic or she was going to get pissed.

"I _love_ you, Callia. I'm not some stupid teenage boy who throws that sentiment around to every girl he meets. I'm serious when I tell you that. I never want to push you into something you aren't ready for because I know that you don't share my feelings."

_Supposedly_, she mused. She was never sure how she felt about Aldon. But she was impressed, anyway. He seemed much more ballsy than Kael when talking about--or showing--affection.

Somehow, somewhere in Callia's mind, she knew, though, that Aldon wasn't lying when he told her that he loved her. She'd seen and noted his serious episodes, but this was something new, like he'd gone off the deep end. There wasn't anything joking about him at that moment.

"I'm not supposed to be with you, anyway." He muttered.

The irrational thought that entered her brain was, _He knows._ But then she chided herself for thinking something so ridiculous. There was no way that Aldon could know. Besides, even when the thought of Kael popped into her head again it flitted away instantly when she wrapped her arms around Aldon, loving the way that his body complimented hers and wondered why _he_ couldn't have be her soulmate.

Callia was glad when his mouth went back her neck, kissing her as intimately as before.

The other irration thought that came was, _I wish Aldon was a vampire._ The picture of him as a vampire seemed to take the pain away, the illusion of his love lasting forever. He'd make a good one, she thought, changing her mind about her earlier opinion. She could see him as one.

Her reverie lasted until she felt a sharp pain and ache before floating to somewhere much lovelier than a cloud.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Callia tasted more than I imagined she would. The thick blood flowing into my mouth like a dream. It was another one of those things that I'd always denied with her. The fact that she was human. When I was away, it was always easy to pretend that I didn't want her blood. That the sound of her pulse was always enough to make my blood boil. But then I'd see her again, smell her lovely scent that always reminded me of raspberries.

It was stupid of me to allow myself this one thing, knowing it would just increase my thirst, but I did it anyway. If anything, this was a time for admitting things. I was just admitting that I wanted her in more than one way, and admitting to Callia, if she remembered, that I was a vampire.

Wasn't as if being a vampire would have given me an upper hand in this situation, anyway. If it was an advantage, I would've told her long ago.

But it wouldn't do me any good. Sure, I was a vampire, but she also had another vampire pining after her. Her vampire _soulmate._

I suppose that was what drove me to act so unusual that night. The fact that I watched her--nearly--every move to protect her, keep her away from any threat that was human or otherwise, like I'd tried to do for every one of her lives. I'd seen him before she had. I saw him walk her home, knew that he was in her bedroom. I knew that my time was up, and I'd better enjoy myself while I could, enjoy the fact that she was in _my_ arms and not his. Besides, I did him a favor this time. I made it so there were no interferences. He'd have her for the rest of his life. I wasn't nearly as selfish as the others, wouldn't ever dream of making her heart still.

Still, I wasn't about to leave without making an impact.

I stopped drinking after a moment. I'd taken her up to her room while drinking, and I sat on her bed, her cradled in my embrace.

I stared at the marks I'd left her, wishing they would stay. Wishing they would scar. But they wouldn't. The holly berry red blood streaming from her wound was still appealing to me, and her eyes were glazed over, half-open. I'm sure that my eyes looked the same. _My _eyes. I smiled.

"Aldon." She whispered in that dreamy, awe-inspired tone that hit me like a boulder.

Her lips looked as red as her blood from my kisses. They looked swollen and soft. I couldn't help but kiss her again, traces of blood still on my mouth.

She kissed me back, unknowing, confusion moving through her brain. I could practically hear the gears of her brain moving into overdrive, trying to comprehend.

I pulled back. Her eyes had snapped open.

"Aldon." Callia repeated only not so dreamy this time. She was startled and overwhelmed.

She touched the bite mark and winced, unintentionally dragging her hand, smearing the blood across her collarbone. Wide-eyed, she looked at her blood covered hand and to my mouth where my fangs were showing.

I felt myself shut down, go numb. I was like this everytime she was gone, a way to protect myself. In my dead expression was a glint of mischief just for her.

"My regards to Kael." I said in monotone. "I'm sure you'll be happy with _him._ And don't worry. You won't see me again."

She couldn't say anything. She just stared, baffled.

I wouldn't get a response out of her. Not yet, anyway. Sighing, I left through the window wondering if Kael could keep her alive for tonight himself.

-----------------------

**Ah, yet another Aldon POV. It really is wonderful but I like it when he's...spunky, I guess you could call it. Oh, well. I guess he get's depressed easily. Not my problem.**

***groans* Now I have She's A Handsome Woman in my head. It is a pretty awesome song, though. Eh, no one respond to that. You can judge my fanfics but **_**definitely**_** not Panic At The Disco. Not while Balandria is around.**

**Anyway, review review guys! Review! (please)**


	5. Second Chances

**Aldon: Balandria sure as hell doesn't own anything. Definitely not me.**

**Balandria: (shrugs) Whatever helps you sleep at night.**

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It would be an understatement to say that Callia was confused. And weak. Yes, she felt weak. But, oh, that had _nothing_ to do with her being drained a good amount of her blood last night. No, it had nothing to do with that. Callia was also pissed.

Irony seemed to hit her like a car lately. First, she finds out that there really _are_ vampires in this world. That they do hide out among humans which bothered her profoundly. That she has some vampire soulmate hanging around her town right at this moment. And, don't forget, her boyfriend turned out to _also_ be a vampire. She remembered when he said that he'd become a vampire for her.

_Become a vampire, my ass_, she thought. _Thanks so much for drinking my blood, asshole._

The mark had already gone away hours ago, but that didn't stop the mental and physical trauma swirling around her head. Okay, was there anyone she knew that was just regular? Someone she was actually close to? The answer was obvious: no. Aldon had made it so she couldn't get up from bed without getting woozy.

Callia wondered what hurt her more: the fact that Aldon had lied to her or the fact that he abandoned her. Well, she got what she wanted. Her boyfriend--were they still technically going out, anyway?--was a vampire. Yay. Cue the confetti. But he knew so much that she didn't know, he kept so much from her. Like, he knew about Kael. She wondered if he knew about Kael before she did. Probably.

The thing that pissed her off the most, though, was the fact that yesterday and today was spent fully on Kael, Aldon, and their vampiric natures. Oh, come _on_, she couldn't spend her life completely on boys. Especially the ones with fangs. She loved vamps, but seriously, it _had_ to stop _somewhere_, right? She was a person with her own agenda.

But then she thought for a moment.

She had no agenda.

Callia had nothing to do. What a surprise to her.

Deciding to sleep of the dizzy feeling she was wrapped up in, she fell against her large pillows. Maybe it would help with her crappy mood as well.

~*~*~*~

Sleep did nothing. Her head ached, she had a sore throat, and she was still in a bad mood. What was the world coming to when sleeping didn't help anything? Something bad, obviously. Maybe the apocalypse, she mused. Still, tomorrow was back to school again where she'd have to deal with the consequinces of skipping and possibly seeing Aldon again. But who was she kidding? Why would Aldon show up?

A horrible thought blossomed in her head due to over-reading vampire novels: what if Kael and Aldon both showed up at her school? Like some fricking vampire showdown or something? _That_ would be the end of the world for her. When words from books suddenly reared their once wonderful but now ugly heads by coming to life. Just f-ing fantastic. Maybe the next time Callia is searching for a missing blouse she'll find Narnia under her bed. Maybe she'll get a letter in the mail proclaiming her a witch and everything will be dandy. And maybe she was getting delusional.

The fact that Aldon sucked her blood didn't necessarily mean that he was a vampire. He could have just bit down real hard and drank, like a vamp wannabe. But Aldon wasn't as crazy and/or pathetic to do that. She was just running away from her problems like when she considered Kael's red eyes to be contacts.

It just sucked that supernatural creatures get all the cool eye colors.

Callia woke up around 8 p.m. and it was just her luck that around where she lived, night happened to be coming earlier than usual. This gave the creatures of the Night World free reign over the place. It just figured that a person would show up at her window.

"What happened to good old vampires who had to get invited in? I liked them. There were boundaries that way." She muttered angrily and sat up.

Her hair was messy and she didn't care. Bad moods do that to a person, she supposed.

"Too stereotypical," Kael responded, ruby eyes glowing in the dark making him seem more frightening. More like a vampire. "Besides, technically you invited me in your house two nights ago."

"Right. I need to think before inviting people in my house lest they be vampires." She scowled. Great. So, two vampires so far were able to come and go by her house as much as they pleased. Guess that if Aldon shows up again he won't use the pretense of ringing the doorbell any longer.

Callia could only see through the darkness his sharp nod. She wasn't sure that she wanted to speak to him again. sure, she had told him that they would talk soon about...well, _that_. The whole soulmate ordeal. If anything, she was just entirely reluctant to speak to anyone lately. Even a vampire. _Especially_ a vampire.

A sigh escaped her lips. "So, what now?"

The red eyed boy walked over to sit on her bed, a _little_ too close to her for comfort. "Do you still want to know what being a soulmate implies?"

Honestly, she wasn't so sure. Might as well get it over with, though."Yes."

"Is it hard to believe that we met centuries ago?" He gave her a small smile.

"Er, considering the fact that I am alive _now_, then I'd say so. Yeah."

The eerie light of his eyes were getting a little creepy to her. "I don't know why, but for some reason--well, I guess I know the reason--your soul continues to return to the world. You're an old soul. You've been around for about five cycles. That covers the past few centuries." Kael concluded thoughtfully.

"Uh huh. So, why do I keep coming back, then?"

"You keep getting murdered out of jealousy." He stated rather calmly. You'd think that he wasn't her soulmate.

"And I don't suppose you have anything to do with this fact, do you?"

His red eyes narrowed, and his lips twisted into a scowl. "You're not implying that _I'm_ the one killing you, are you?"

"I'm just working off the information you're giving me." Callia shrugged. What else could he expect? _He_ was the creepy vampire who's been following her around for centuries, what with his sinister red eyes and dark hair. She hated to stereotype, but his looks were the epitome of evil incarnate.

"_No_, I haven't been killing you. I haven't killed you once. I'm not a sadist, Callia." Callia cringed at the way he said her name. It seemed to naturally roll of his tongue, like it did with Aldon, but she didn't seem to find any warmth in it. Oh, well. His entire being seemed frigid.

"Then who has?"

"Every time I find you again, each cycle, you always have had a human lover. I was your soulmate, though, so you willingly gave up your flings with the mortals and stayed with me. I'd say that you're lovers weren't very happy about that." Kael seemed deep in thought.

"Ah, so you _were_ the reason I kept dying. Intentional or not."

"I was never the one to kill you, though. And, you're new boy is next." He frowned.

It was either now or never, Callia decided. "Actually, Kael, there are two problems with your theory." _Oh, god. I hope Aldon is still here _somewhere. She felt angry tears gather in her eyes, but she brushed them away.

"How?"

"One, _my boy_ isn't a human." She watched to see him digest that piece of information.

His dark eyebrows drew together. "But...that's never happened before."

There was a short laugh from the window. Has no one ever heard of a door? Or knocking? "Yeah, no thanks to you."

The dim moonlight pooled light through her window but Callia didn't recogize the person there.

She stared in confusion, slowly seeing the familiar features through the new details and froze on her bed.

Aldon--it was cleary him, but _not_ him--walked into the room. His hair wasn't the right color, though. For that matter, neither were his eyes. Instead of the chocolate brown eyes she loved, his eyes were grey and luminous...like looking at the moon. His hair was the color of silver, gleaming like a flame. It was frightening and intriguing staring at him like this. Like an angel.

The only words she could manage--or _word_ for that matter--was, "What?"

Aldon glanced at her and winked. "Contacts."

"A-and the hair?" She stammered uncharacteristically.

"Dye. Honestly, I have only lived here for a few years. Figures that you'd never notice anything odd about me." He smiled lovingly.

Callia wondered how she couldn't notice anything different about him. He looked so alien now. Nothing human, but definitely beautiful. It was hard to drag her eyes away from him, even as he casually slouched against the wall.

She dared a look at Kael who was glaring at Aldon.

Kael snarled a name that she never expected to hear. "Lucine."

Callia jumped. "_What_?"

Everyone ignored her.

Aldon--or should I say Lucine?--leaned forward, a wicked but oddly innocent smile playing on his lips. "What's the matter Kael? Disappointed that Callia doesn't have a human to plot revenge this time? Well, I myself, don't want my girl to die."

"Of course I don't want Callia to die!" Kael exclaimed.

"But you don't seem very happy to see me." He cocked his head to the side, looking over at Callia and smiling.

"I don't think anyone would be happy to find their cousin in bed with their soulmate."

Callia seems to have found herself in a soap opera. She dropped her head to her hands.

Lucine _tsk_ed his cousin. "You've always been posessive, haven't you? It seems that you've forgotten that I was always the first one to get to her. I danced with her so long ago at that ball--well before you did. And I'd made it to her this time before you. See, unlike you, I was the protector. You never seemed to see the error of your ways and stop following her. You're the one who got her killed each and every time."

Kael grimaced. "Callia and I are soulmates. No matter what, we belong together."

He stroked her hand. Feeling wracked through her. Callia saw red. Yeah, sure, sparks, fireworks. _Lust._ A powerful lust was what she felt. She didn't feel any warmth or love from him, though. Even if he claimed to love her.

She pulled away from him sharply, and he stared at her in confusion.

"No," she protested, feeling small and young once again in the midst of creatures much older than her. She swallowed a lump that had formed in her throat, and said more firmly, "_No._"

"Callia...?"

Shaking her head, she moved away from Kael and backed against her bedroom door. "No, Kael. That's where you're wrong. Did you ever care that you were killing me?"

"I...I thought that the cycle might break...--"

"And it did! I don't _want_ you, Kael. Soulmate or not, you never really cared if I ever got to live a full life, like I should have been allowed. You never let me live because you wanted me." She shook with anger and sadness. "And that's all you thought about. Am I right?"

"Callia--"

"Am I _right_, Kael?" She demanded.

"..."

Laughing bitterly, she forged on. "I won't be able to die this time because Aldon..." she paused and glanced at the silver boy on the wall opposite her, and swallowed again. "Lucine cared. He didn't want me to die. Because he loves me."

"I do." He agreed quietly.

"And I love him. I don't care if we're meant to be, Kael, because I know that I'll never love you and you'll never _really_ love me." Lucine stared at her, eyes wide.

"No." Kael shook his head. "I do love you."

Callia smiled ruefully. "Love isn't the same as lust. Boys really need to learn that. I thought that with all your years, you'd know _something_, but I guess not."

"You'll never be happy without me, Callia. I swear that you won't." He warned.

"I want Lucine." She said.

Lucine continued to stare.

"You'll want me, again. I'll be waiting for when that happens."

Callia laughed. "I _want_ you to leave my fucking house. And if you are anywhere near my town, I swear to god I'll get Lucine to turn me and I'll kill myself. That'll end this whole damn cycle for sure."

"You can't mean that..." Kael trailed off in shock.

"Nobody likes a third wheel, Kael."

He gaped at her.

"Get out." She ordered with determination.

His crimson eyes narrowed. In a movement so quick, Callia's human eyes couldn't follow, he left through the window leaving a tiny message in her head.

_You_ will _want me. And when that happens, I won't be there to help you._

Callia's back slid down her door and she sighed in relief. "Quite the ego, eh?"

In the next moment, Lucine knelt by her. "Are you okay?"

She rose an eyebrow at him. "I suggest you stay away from me. I haven't forgiven you for making me bedridden for nearly two days."

He sat down. "I didn't think that I took that much..." He frowned. "I'm sorry."

Callia lowered her voice mockingly. "I'm sorry for stealing the stuff that keeps you alive. Really. My bad."

Lucine smiled.

She shrugged. "Other than that, yeah, I'm fine. How 'bout you, Lucine? Nice family you have. Unfortunately, I must insist that I not visit family reunions. For my safetly, of course."

"Quit it." He growled and pulled her into his arms. "You don't have to call me Lucine, you know."

"But it's your name. You changed from how I remember you." She observed.

Callia ran her fingers through his silver locks, reveling in how soft his hair was. His eyes still hypnotized her, like they had when he came in through the window just a few minutes ago.

"Yeah, I cut my hair," he grinned, "and just another few little tweaks."

"No, you act differently, too. Except for when you're serious, you retain some of that more mature and old-timey feel, I guess."

"Gotta get with the times, you know." Lucine sighed. "You're an idiot."

"Ouch."

"You are such a little idiot, I have no idea some times. You don't deny your soulmate." He frowned at her.

"Oh, do you _want_ me to go run off with your cousin?"

"No. But, still, you won't feel the same without him knowing how it feels to have a soulmate."

Callia thought back to those brief moments when her and Kael's skin touched. The electricity that flowed through them. That weird silver cord. That didn't seem anything compared to the comfort and love she felt from Lucine. She remembered when Lucine last kissed her, and how she responded to _that_. She felt the lust with him, also. But he was so, so warm when he held her. He was an idiot if he thought that Callia was about to give that up.

"As sappy as it may seem, I don't give a fuck if he is my soulmate. I don't need him." She smiled up at him. She loved him. She really did.

Callia saw him swallow hard, before saying, "Did you mean that when you said that you love me?"

Her smile grew. "Of course I did."

He sighed dreamily and tilted her head up, dipping his head down to her cheek, brushing his lips against her soft skin. "I love you."

She wrapped her arms around him, melting into his warmth. That was all she really needed to live. Just him.

**The End!!! (No, really. It is.)**

-----------------------

**Author's Notes: I'm sorry if that seemed rushed, but I wanted to wrap it up before I abandoned it. I wanted to finish a story for once! And I did. I'm sorry if anyone wanted her to choose Kael but what Callia really, truly needed was love and Kael wasn't able to offer her that. Lucine was, though. I hope no one was pissed by the fact that Aldon was really Lucine. It had to be done, though. No ifs ands or buts. Besides, I liked Lucine once I thought about him and him being in the present was too good to pass up.**

**Kael glares at the happy couple, holding each other: Get a room.**

**Callia&Lucine: We **_**are**_** in a room! **_**You're**_** outside watching.**

**Callia: Perv.**

**Lucine: Jealous, much, cousin? **

**Kael hmphs.**

**Balandria pats Kael on the shoulder: Ah, don't feel bad about it, bud. You'll find someone who likes winter eventually.**

**Kael: I resent that.**

**Balandria: So, please review guys! I'd love to hear what people thought! Now, I am off to contemplate a Final Fantasy IX fanfic!**


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